These sources will help you in your research about the different reform movements which took place during the antebellum period of United States history.

Suggested Search Terms

As you search the library catalog and other searchable resources, consider using these keywords:

• Antebellum Reform
• American Nationalism
• Common Schools Movement
• Prison Reform
• Asylum Reform
• Temperance
• Antebellum Utopias
• Women's Rights

Dewey Decimal Call Numbers

Books in the media center are shelved according to their Dewey Decimal Call Number, which keeps books on the same subject together. We've gathered some books for you, but you might want to check the shelves as well. If so, try looking for books labeled with these numbers:

• 360 Social welfare
• 370 Education
• 973 United States History

General Resources

• Reform Movements Across the United States is a page from the North Carolina Digital History textbook on the LEARN NC website.
• American Memory at the Library of Congress "provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience" (About page).
• Antebellum Society and Reform is an audio recording of a lecture from Parkland College. This is available through iTunes U. You must have iTunes installed on your computer to get the lecture.
• The Spirit of Reform: 1820 - 1850 provides a good overview of the timeline of reform movements and important individuals. Because it is intended as a study guide, it does not go into much depth. Before using this as one of your sources in your bibliography, check with your teacher to make sure SparkNotes is an acceptable source for this assignment.

Topic-Specific Resources

Education

• The History of American Education Web Project was created by college students in a Foundations of Education course and their professor.

Nationalism in Literature, Art, and Architecture

• The Devlopment of Nationalism, created by AP US History teacher Curt Lewis, provides an overview of Nationalism in literature, art, and architecture. Keep an eye out for the names of specific types of architecture and art movements which you might use as search terms to gain more information about them.

Prisons and Asylums

• Dorothea Dix's Advocacy for the Mentally Ill in North Carolina at Documenting the American South presents one perspective on asylum reform.

Temperance

• The North Carolina Experience at Documenting the American South consists of primary sources written by North Carolinians. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the sources about temperance.
• The "Temperance" Archive from the Lost Museum provides both images and texts related to temperance in the Antebellum period.

Utopias

• Utopian Communites at American History Through Literature provides a great deal of information. Be sure to view the About page for information about the editors and writers.

Women's Rights

• American Women is a gateway to resources available from the Library of Congress on the subject of women's history and culture.